According to a study done by Kaspersky, the Shlayer malware is the most popular malware that attacks Macs nowadays. When a Mac is infected with the malware through fake Adobe Flash updates, the Any Search bar is installed and deployed on the computer of the victim. But what is this Shlayer malware on Macs all about?
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What Is Shlayer?
You may ask, “Is Shlayer a virus?” The answer is YES.
Shlayer is a type of Trojan virus designed to distribute different adware, launch fake search engines, and install potentially unwanted applications. Although it is usually disguised as an Adobe Flash Player installer, it may take other forms, such as software cracking tools, as well.
Once Shlayer makes it to a Mac, it causes a plethora of problems, including invasive advertisements that point to malicious sites and run scripts that download malware and fake-search engines that collect sensitive information, such as IP addresses, pages viewed, geo-locations, and other personal details, from users.
It is believed that this virus can be acquired by visiting Torrent sites that flash various intrusive ads and entice you to download deceptive files. Don’t worry, though. No matter how damaging this Trojan virus may be, you can always get rid of it or prevent it from harming your Mac.
How to Remove Shlayer from Macs
If you suspect that this malicious Trojan virus has harmed your Mac, below are some Shlayer removal methods you can try:
Method #1: Remove Shlayer Without the Use of Any Third-Party App
Yes, it is possible to remove Shlayer without the involvement of any third-party app. First, you need to uninstall any suspicious apps using Finder. And then, delete the Trojan from Safari, Firefox, and Chrome.
Delete Any Suspicious Apps Using Finder
Regardless of your macOS version, the process of removing malware and adware is generally the same. Here is a step-by-step guide:
Delete the Shlayer Trojan from Safari, Firefox, and Chrome
Are random pages opened upon the launch of your web browser? Are intrusive ads popping at random while browsing the web? Then it is likely that the Shlayer Trojan has attacked your Mac.
The Shlayer Trojan may change your web browser’s settings without your knowledge. You may even be redirected to a suspicious website and see additional toolbars and extensions. But it’s no reason to panic. What you should do is revert your browser’s default settings.
To delete the Shlayer Trojan from Safari, here’s what you should do:
To delete the Shlayer Trojan from Mozilla Firefox, here’s what you should do:
To delete the Shlayer Trojan from Google Chrome, here’s what you should do:
Method #2: Remove the Shlayer Trojan Using Antivirus Software
If you wish to remove the Shlayer Trojan the quick and easy way, then install an antivirus tool. You can always get one for free, but make sure that you download antivirus software from the website of its official developer to avoid problems in the long run. With legit and reliable antivirus software, browser hijackers, unwanted programs, adware software, and Trojans won’t stand a chance.
Method #3: Remove All Potentially Unwanted Applications (PUAs)
The Shlayer Trojan can disguise itself as a potentially unwanted application, so be sure your Mac is free of any PUAs.
To remove PUAs from your Mac, follow these steps:
Method #4: Remove All Shlayer Trojan-Related Files and Folders
Do you think there are still Shlayer Trojan-related files and folders hiding on your Mac? Then here’s what you should do:
How to Prevent the Installation of Shlayer
To prevent the installation of Shlayer and other potentially harmful applications, pay caution when browsing the web, especially when downloading, updating, or installing software. Always remember that intrusive advertisements are often disguised as legitimate ones. Once clicked, they will only redirect you to suspicious websites.
In the event that you download dubious apps or extensions, remove them right away. Should there be a need to update an application, make sure you download the required updates from the official website of the app’s developer.
Also, be sure to have a trusted anti-malware tool installed and running on your Mac. It will help detect and eliminate viruses and malware entities before they cause harm to your Mac.
Wrapping Up
Now, your Mac should be free of the annoying Shlayer Trojan and other possible threats. Again, the key to Mac safety is caution. As long as you think before you click, then your files and data will remain safe.
Do you know other ways to remove the Shlayer Trojan? Let us know in the comments!
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There are many antivirus and antimalware reviews for Macs on the Internet. They do a good job comparing various aspects of antimalware software, such as price, impact on the performance of the computer, ease of use, detection ratings according to respectable AV test labs.
However, almost none of the reviewers made an effort to infect their Macs with malware and test antiviruses on the real devices.
I went the same route initially when I wrote What to Look for In Antivirus Software post. Not because I was lazy, but because I didn’t know where to find real viruses for a Mac.
But as we know, “Who seeks shall find.”
I was finally able to find more than 100 Mac-specific malware samples, and I spent a week testing 13 malware detection software.
I have to admit that the results surprised me a little. But now, armed with the real data, I can confidently recommend best malware detection app for Mac.
After all, it does not matter how much does AV cost and how easy it is to use if it does not catch 100% of malicious programs.
Personally, I wouldn’t want to spend a single penny on a program that finds only 90% of threats, because even a single undetected virus can ruin my Mac.
It’s like a cop wearing a bulletproof vest which only protects from certain types of bullets. If I were a cop I wouldn’t want to have the second best vest.
Same with antimalware. It’s the only kind of app where I don’t want a hacked or free version. I want a legally purchased, fully supported software with regular updates. With a hacked software updates are not available and very soon the AV will be outdated and pretty much useless.
Anyway, here is a table with my top picks followed by the test description and results:
Best Malware Detection Software for Mac
I Injected my Mac With 117 Malware Samples
The list of actual active viruses and how tested AVs performed can be found in Appendix A. This list is pretty comprehensive. It includes:
Curiosity stream app mac. Each column in the table has the name of the AV tested. If AV failed to identify and disinfect the malware, I would put ‘x’ in the corresponding cell.
The best antimalware is supposed to have no ‘x’ in the table, and there was only one AV that accomplished the goal.
Testing Procedure
In order to create a repeatable environment for the test where all conditions are the same except the antimalware installed, I used my MacBook Pro 13″ with macOS Catalina.
First, I wiped out the disk and installed a fresh new OS.
Then I took a backup of the disk.
The following steps I repeated more than 13 times (I had to rerun several tests to make sure everything was right):
In the end, I compared the results (see Appendix A).
As you understand, it was a lot of work.
I spent exactly a week running tests each night after work, but now I have the best data you could possibly find.
High-level Results
Here are the initial results aggregated by each AV. As you can see, the only AV that deleted 100% of malware was VIPRE Advanced Security.
One program that most AV products did not identify was MacKeeper. Some programs define it as a PUP (Potentially Unwanted Program), but I happened to disagree with this. You can read my post about MacKeeper here, where I explained my point in great detail.
After some consideration, I decided to exclude MacKeeper from the list. After this adjustment the results would be as follows:
So, now we have three solutions with a malware detection rate of 100% for Mac (all US-based companies):
Testing 13 AVs
Here I want to quickly describe my impressions from each antivirus I tested (even the one not included in the final list):
Airo AV
One of the most frustrating interfaces I have seen. On the one hand, the simple interface they come with may be appealing to non-technical people who just want to set and forget.
But on the other hand, it took me a lot of time to make sure that I ran the scan against the folder where I kept all my malware.
And since I was not sure that Airo picked up the correct folder, I ran the scan multiple times. The best project management app for mac. Still, it missed 10 malicious programs.
Details:
Avast Free Antivirus for Mac
Avast and Malwarebytes are the only truly free AV products. I wrote a detailed post about Avast. In my test, it missed only one sample.
So, if you are looking for a free AV, Avast could be your choice. However, keep in mind that the company was known for spying after its customers, so be aware.
Details:
AVG Antivirus
AVG was acquired by Avast, and I suspect that both have the same engine under the hood. So it is not surprising that both have similar results in testing.
I actually liked AVG more than Avast, it was straightforward to use, and the interface is very clean.
Details:
Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac
Honestly, I was not impressed with Bitdefender.
Pros:
Cons:
Details:
ClamXAV
One of the simplest user interfaces (one might say not polished). It did a very good job finding viruses (missed only 2).
However, once the malware detected, it depends on the user to take action: I had to delete items manually. Unfortunately, since there was no bulk delete option, I had to delete items one by one (all 100+ of them).
Details:
ESET Cyber Security
This was the biggest surprise for me. I know Nod32 for a long time since my Windows days. In my test, the program performed extremely poorly (missed 20 samples), and I don’t know why.
I ran the tests multiple times to make sure that I didn’t miss anything. It is entirely possible that I was doing something wrong, and there is a right way to use the product.
However, most people using the product are less technical than I am (I am a software developer, after all).
And if it takes me a while to learn how to use the product, what are the chances that the regular guy or gal can handle it better and won’t be infected?
Details:
F-Secure
Another poor performing product. F-Secure was so eager to find something on my Mac that it started the scan even before the installation completed. I saw it found a lot of malware; however, I was not able to figure out how to make F-Secure to delete them.
All I could see is No Action as a remedy. In the end, the product displayed the worst results of all tested apps: it missed a whopping 26 samples.
Details:
Intego Mac Internet Security X9
This was one of three products that cleared 100% of malware (excluding Mac Keeper). The interface could be simpler, but the end result is good enough.
Details:
Kaspersky Internet Security
Another well known and pretty old stable AV product. However, it didn’t do well in my test: Kaspersky missed 7 samples, and this disqualified the product from my recommended list.
Details:
Malwarebytes
One of two free AV products. Noticed that the results of Malwarebytes are not in the table?
Best Apple Malware Protection
It’s because Malwarebytes does not have Full Scan capability. All it does a Quick Scan (very quick indeed), but I couldn’t point it to scan the folder with all malware samples.
Malwarebytes Premium will trigger when you open a file with a virus, but I don’t think that the free version does it too.
Details:
Norton 360 Deluxe
On the one hand, Norton took longer than any other product to install, but the result was pretty good: it detected 100% malware in adjusted test.
I have to admit that I have a soft spot for Norton products since I’ve been using them for more than 20 years, and I generally trust the company.
I rated the AV as the best for the following reasons:
Details:
Trend Micro
Another solid AV product. It only missed one sample.
Details:
VIPRE Advanced SecurityWhat Is The Best Malware For Mac
Another US-based company. This one came as a surprise for me. It was the only AV product that cleaned all malware and the only one that hit 100% in both adjusted and non-adjusted results.
The product was very easy to use. The interface is straightforward, and it didn’t require any learning.
Details:
Best Malware App For Macbook Pro
Best Anti Malware For MacsAppendix A
Following is a table with results of the test. Symbol ‘x’ in each cell indicates the instance when the program failed to detect certain malware. Less ‘x’es is better.
Free Malware Removal Mac
VIPRE Advanced Security is the only solution that does not have a single ‘x’ in its column because it detected and removed all malware in the test.
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